News

Livestream and Live results tracking: The 2024 Banana Slug Backyard Ultra starts at 7:00 AM on Friday, April 19. You can follow along here with a live video stream or with a live spreadsheet showing who is still in the race and their time for completing each loop.
Banana Slug Backyard Ultra Runner Profiles: Check out the runner profiles to get to know a few of the runners in the Banana Slug Backyard Ultra which starts on April 19!
Running the Extra Mile: A portion of the proceeds of these races will benefit Children's Center and in recognition of April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, we endcourage everyone to donate directly as well. Read more on how you can benefit this or other causes.
Banana Slug Backyard 24 Runner Profiles: Check out the runner profiles to get to know a few of the runners in the Banana Slug Backyard 24 on April 13!

Description

A backyard ultra is a deviously simple race. Runners just have to complete a 4.167-mile course within a one-hour cutoff. And then line up to do that again at the top of the next hour. And again the next. And again. There's no limit on how long the race might be, (neither time nor distance). The race continues as long as there are multiple runners still on the course. The only way to finish the race is to complete the course when no other runner can.

There can be at most one finisher (and winner), while every other entrant is a DNF (did not finish).

The fastest runner won't necessarily win this race. And mental strength is every bit as important as physical strength. How long can you keep moving? If you fight hard enough to earn a DNF at a backyard ultra then you may have truly found your limit. If you win, you might still be wondering.

A "backyard 24" is a race with the same basic structure but with the mercy of ending after 24 hours (100 miles). There's no winner in a backyard 24, just those that finish all 24 loops, and those that don't. This race format is a great introduction to the basic structure of backyard-ultra running. If your personal longest run is anywhere from 5k to 50 miles, then a backyard 24 can be your perfect next race to set a a new personal record for the longest thing you have ever run.

Details

Location

The 2024 Banana Slug Backyard Ultra and Backyard 24 will both take place at Champoeg State Park at 8239 NE Champoeg Rd., St. Paul, OR 97137, (about 25 miles south of Portland) along the beautiful Willamette River.

Dates

The Banana Slug Backyard 24 will start precisely at 8:00 AM on Saturday, April 13, 2024 and will end at 8:00 AM on Sunday, April 14 (or sooner if there are no finishers).

The Banana Slug Backyard Ultra will start precisely at 7:00 AM on Friday, April 19, 2024 and there's no way to predict when it will end. It depends on who shows up and how long they can outlast each other.

In either race, all runners present will attempt to complete a 4.167-mile course in one hour, or will be eliminated. Then, at the top of the next hour, all remaining runners willing to continue will line up at the starting line for another loop, again with a one-hour time limit. This will continue until the end of the 24th loop for the backyard 24. But the backyard ultra only ends when there is a loop that only a single runner is able to complete within the time limit, (or, perhaps until there's a loop with no finisher).

Given this format, it's hard to predict when the Banana Slug Backyard Ultra will end. Runners should come fully prepared to run through the night, (bring reflective clothing, a headlamp, and spare batteries), and bring all the food and clothing needed to go for their maximum distance.

Course

Both races use a lovely system of trails at Champoeg State Park. The day course follows a single-track trail through trees and along the river with scenic views.

The trail course will be used for the first 12 hours of the race. At 7:00 PM the race will switch to the night course which is entirely on a paved bike path. The race will switch back to the trail course at 7:00 AM the next morning and continue switching back and forth between these two courses every 12 hours until the race is complete.

Both courses are relatively flat with roughly 250 ft. of vertical gain over either loop.

Check-in and Camping

For the Banana Slug Backyard Ultra only, a site is available for tent camping Thursday night, (with parking for a single vehicle). Camping requires an additional fee paid at registration. Race-packet pickup and campsite setup will be available at 5:30 PM on Thursday the night before the race.

Those who are not camping, (including everyone in the Banana Slug Backyard 24), will be able to pick up their race packets the morning of the event 90 minutes before the start of the race, (at 5:30 AM for the Backyard Ultra and at 6:30 AM for the Backyard 24).

Amenities

For any time that runners have available between loops, we have a large, covered pavilion available. Each runner has access to one half of one picnic table within the pavilion as a personal aid station where they can store personal items (food clothing, etc.). These items and the pavilion will be easily accessible during "interloopal" periods (as the pavilion is immediately adjacent to the start/finish line).

Any runner wanting more space than half a picnic table can reserve a 10'x10' space in the grass (near the starting area) where they can setup a pop-up canopy, (canopies are not provided by the race, and must be brought by participants). This reservation requires an additional fee paid at the time of registration.

Toilet facilities will available very near the beginning of the race course on every loop (day or night).

The race will provide a common aid station at the start/finish pavilion with Tailwind Endurance Fuel, water, and bananas (of course!). No aid stations are provided along the course, but you'll be returning to the start regularly. Runners are encouraged to bring preferred food and beverage as needed for an endurance race. There's no obligation, but runners can contribute anything they'd like to the common aid station.

Finally, a caterer will be on-site, preparing hot meals throughout the race. Each runner's registration includes one hot finish-line meal. Additional meals may be purchased from the caterer during or after the race.

Parking

Your registration fee (paid in advance here on the website) includes participation in the race itself as well as parking for a single vehicle throughout the race. So, do not pay any additional fees when entering the park!

Any spectators driving their own vehicles will need to pay the standard $5 fee for day-use parking when entering the park.

Supporting

A portion of the proceeds from these race will be donated to local non-profit organizations that have some connection to the runners and race organizers. Here are the two organizations that will benefit in 2024:

Children's Center is a Children’s Advocacy Center whose mission is to work with the community to end abuse and neglect through assessment, treatment, and prevention. They are working to build a world where all children feel safe, valued, and heard.

In recognition of April as Child Abuse Prevention Month we encourage everyone to make a donation to Children's Center, a non-profit 501c(3) organization.

Clackamas County Search and Rescue is a local all-volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to providing Search and Rescue assistance for people who are lost or injured out of doors.

Rules

Starts

Each loop starts precisely at the top of the hour with the ringing of a cowbell
Any runner not in the starting corral at the bell is eliminated
All runners must start at the bell (no late starts)
Warning whistles will be given 3, 2, and 1 minutes prior to the start

Loops

Once a loop starts, no runner can leave the course (except for restrooms)
No non-competitors are allowed on the course (some public may be encountered). No pacers!
No personal aid can be given during a loop
No artificial aids are allowed (including trekking poles)
Each loop must be completed within an hour to be counted
Slower runners must allow passes

Winner

Only the Banana Slug Backyard Ultra has a winner, the Banana Slug Backyard 24 does not
The winner is the person who completes a loop that no other runner completes
All others are technically DNF
If there is a loop that no runner completes, there is no winner

History

The Backyard Ultra was invented by Lazarus "Laz" Lake who first hosted the original Big's Backyard Ultra in his own backyard (and with his dog, Big) in 2011.

As that race has grown in popularity, a number of affiliated races with identical rules sprang up all over the world. These races have been organized into a world championship with the winner of any race earning automatic entry to the next level, (bronze, silver, and gold). The original Big's Backyard Ultra is now either the US National Championship Backyard Ultra race (in even years) or the World Championship Backyard Ultra race (in odd years).

The Banana Slug Backyard Ultra first started in 2022 and is a Silver Ticket race in 2024. The winner secures a spot in the 2024 US National Championship at Big's, which is itself a Gold Ticket for the 2025 World Championship at Big's.

The Banana Slug Backyard 24 was first launched in 2024 after Laz introduced the concept of a "backyard 24" as a way to make the backyard-ulra format more accessible and available to more runners.

Results

Here is a summary of results from previous years of the Banana Slug Backyard Ultra. Click/tap on any row for the complete results of every runner in that year's race:

Year	Result	Winner	Assist
2022	34 hours (141.67 miles)	Scott Martin	Ryan Cotton
2023	33 hours (137.5 miles)	Scott Martin	Mikey Sklar

Contact us

If you have any questions about these events, or if you would like to volunteer to help make these events a success, please don't hesitate to email Carl Worth <carl@slug.run>